Isaiah 44:6-8. No
other God??? 23/7/17
{6) "This is what the LORD
says-- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am
the last; apart from me there is no God. {7} Who then is like me? Let him
proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I
established my ancient people, and what is yet to come-- yes, let him foretell
what will come. {8} Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this
and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?
No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."
Sit back and take careful note. God in these three verses has a great
deal to say to our present day world. This generation that is so smug in its
thinking that it can be accepting and tolerant of many different gods,
religions and denominations, believing that they all have the truth and the
spirit, even if more or less. Or which thinks it can say there is some sort of
god out there, but we don’t need to take him all that seriously. ‘Surely if he
is god, and a loving one at that; then he will accept us all no matter what;
after all we are good-living folk.’
At the same time there is also an important message in this for those
who are struggling and searching for hope and genuine answers. In the face of
hopelessness and a bleak future, we have here a turning point; a bright light
which gives a real hope and a certainty to everything that lies before us. In
the face of a myriad of points of view and appeals for openness and tolerance
and all kinds of liberalism, we have a clear word that silences them all to
meaningless chatter.
This is what the LORD says--
Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty. Here we have
the Lord Almighty himself speaking: not some pompous, self-righteous person full
of his own self-importance. Not some philosophy that has been pandered about by
those wanting to erase any thinking of God from the face of the earth. No here
we have the one and only God who is Lord over all things: both, ruler and King of all, as well as Saviour and Redeemer: The Almighty one who is over all and through
all and in all: The one and only true God.
Here is the One who truly is the one that we need to take seriously. The
One who in the end we will all be answerable to; no matter who we are or what
we think and believe. To those who take him and what he says seriously there is
great hope and a great future. However, to those who do not believe or take him
seriously there is nothing but eternal damnation.
That being the case; listen carefully! This Almighty Lord says:
I am the first and I am the last;
apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let
him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my
ancient people, and what is yet to come-- yes, let him foretell what will come.
Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long
ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other
Rock; I know not one."
Here remember that these words were spoken to an Israelite nation that
had become so slack as God’s people that he allowed them to be taken over by a
foreign nation and taken into exile as slaves. He is the same God who created
the world in the very beginning; The same God who miraculously brought his
people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land; The same God who wo promised
that he would send the Lamb of God to save his people and establish his kingdom
forever.
In many ways these Israelites had become the same in their thinking as
we in this nation have become. Though God had richly blessed them over the
years, they became complacent in their attitude toward him; and justice and
mercy was no longer a part of their thinking. Yes, they still acknowledged the
Lord, but they tolerated and even took part in the other religions that they
had allowed to creep into their nation. Their worship had become far removed
from that which the Lord had set before them and they refused to listen and
change their ways when it was called for.
From the very beginning God had set down before them the way that they
should live and act in their relationship to him and the people around about
them. He also told them very clearly over and over again, that if they failed
to heed these commands, then he would bring them down. They however became so
arrogant and apathetic in this regard; even when God sent his prophets to warn
them, they ignore them and persecuted them. They believed that they had it all
under control and that they would be OK.
So the Lord, true to his word, sent in the Babylonians
to destroy them as a people. Now here at the time of this original message, the
remnant of them that survived, sit as slaves in a foreign land. Again God comes
to them and tells them that he is the Lord Almighty, and all that has happened
to them, happened because of their disobedience. But he also reminds them that
as the Lord Almighty, he has promised that if they once again return to him and
take him seriously, then he will again restore them as his people and as a nation.
The Lord said to them: I am the first and I am the
last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my
ancient people, and what is yet to come-- yes, let him foretell what will come.
Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long
ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other
Rock; I know not one."
Now to us here, let us hear these words as his words to us also. And
don’t be as arrogant as the people of Israel and think that God will act any
different toward us. If you do then I would suggest that you tremble and be afraid, for his foretelling
of what is before us is just as clearly written for us to know that we cannot
play games with God and think that we will come out OK.
His proclamation is quite clear that there will be a falling away in the
last times, by many; and we can see that happening all around us; as well, we
are told that there will be many who will follow after that which their itching
ears long to hear. In other words, they will follow after what makes them feel
good, rather than on the clear word of God.
Here, let us be quite clear that there are no other
God beside our Lord. All others are nothing but thieves and robbers. They are
not, as many proclaim today, as different roads leading to the same end. Any
other proclamation that does not centre on Jesus Christ and his death on the
cross for the forgiveness of sins, is not of the Lord Almighty. There on the cross we find our King and our Redeemer. The Lord Almighty
himself says: Salvation is found in no
one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must
be saved."
If that is the case, how can we dare to think that we can dabble here
and dabble there, with all kinds of ideologies and odd worships that focus us
on things other than Jesus Christ and him alone. How dare we think that we do not
need to heed what he has to say with regard to all kinds of things: but instead
to twist and change it all to suit our own way of thinking. God has very
clearly stated what is going to happen to those people. So beware. He is the
Lord Almighty and he is true to his word.
That of course also means that he promises grace and blessing to all who
do turn to him and look to him as their Lord and Redeemer. Because he has
always been true to his word throughout history, we can therefore trust that as
we look to him and what he has done for us through Jesus Christ, we can take
him seriously and know that salvation and eternal life is there in him for us.
Here remember again that Jesus came into this world for the very purpose
of extending forgiveness, salvation and hope to us. We know that he died on the
cross, taking our punishment on himself, thereby ensuring this forgiveness and
eternal life to us. He did rise from the dead so that we can be absolutely sure
that this is all for real; and that all who are connected to him will also rise
from the dead to be with him in heaven.
All this then means, that we can continue to trust his word alone, even
as the world around us; changes and ignores it all to suit themselves. We can
hold firmly to what he says in the Bible, knowing full well that this is the
Word of the Lord Almighty himself, in its entirety. We don’t have to scratch
our heads wondering what we must listen to and what we can discard: it is all
God’s Word to us all, even today.
That also means that we can hold him up as our Lord and boss as we live
out our lives every day. In the midst of a world that ignores and mostly has
discarded him, we can know that he is for real, and he is important for our
daily lives as well. That of course means that we will regularly come into his
house here, in order that he can strengthen and encourage us through Word and
Sacrament so that we can remain strong in the midst of the wayward pressures of
the world around us.
It also means that as long as we are connected to him and trust in what
he says to us, we can have the certainty that our future is good. No matter
what our situation may look at the moment the Lord Almighty has already ensured
that nothing in all creation can separate us from his love.
So let us always remember these words from the LORD: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.
Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me
what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to
come-- yes, let him foretell what will come. Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is
there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."
To him then, be glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.
Pastor
Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale
Lutheran Parish
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